«Operations have officially begun at the Karabakh field! This week we began 3D seismic acquisition using high-density ocean-bottom nodes (HDOBN)," wrote bp Azerbaijan Vice President Dan Sparkes on Linkedin. The goal is to reduce uncertainty regarding resources, plan development, and make the final investment decision. The survey will be conducted by highly qualified specialists from Caspian Geo, who drive a revolution in seismic imaging in the Caspian Sea through the implementation of HDOBN capabilities. These capabilities were enabled by bp's largest-ever seismic project: a more than five-year 4D acquisition campaign at the giant Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli field. Arzu Javadova, SOCAR Vice President for Exploration, joined the launch of the three-month survey.

Previously, appraisal drilling had already been conducted at the Karabakh field (SOCAR and Equinor), which confirmed the discovery made earlier in 1997 by a foreign consortium. "Drilling of the first appraisal well on this contract area started on December 23, 2019, and ultimately confirmed the discovery of the field. The depth of productive formations reached 3.4 km. According to preliminary estimates, economically the volume of identified oil and gas reserves at the field is sufficient for development," the State Oil Company reported. Drilling was conducted using the semi-submersible drilling rig Dede Gorgud.

The Karabakh field is located 120 km east of Baku. The sea depth in the field area reaches 180 meters. Oil potential at the Karabakh field is estimated at 60 million tons. In the future, the field will produce at least 1.5 million tons of oil and 1.5–1.8 billion cubic meters of gas per year.